What John Cena Told Cody Rhodes Right Before He Stomped On His Ankle: ‘I’ll Never Forget’

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As a huge WWE fan, I’m so excited about what 2026 has in store, and I was thrilled to finally check out Season 2 of WWE: Unreal on Netflix! It’s giving us a fascinating look behind the scenes at some of last year’s biggest moments, like the incredible two-night SummerSlam. Cody Rhodes just shared something wild – what John Cena said right before their match where Cena accidentally stomped on Cody’s ankle. Cody said he’ll honestly never forget it!

What John Cena Told Cody Rhodes Right Before He Stomped His Ankle At SummerSlam

John Cena’s extended farewell to wrestling has sparked a lot of debate among fans. Many consider his SummerSlam 2025 match against Cody Rhodes to be a highlight of his year. The match came after a controversial storyline where Cena briefly turned villain, unexpectedly winning the championship from Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. For their SummerSlam rematch, Cena returned to his heroic persona, and the two wrestlers delivered a particularly brutal and exciting championship battle.

One of the cool things about that contest was how fiercely the two babyfaces went after each other, with one spot seeing Rhodes get the legend down on the mat and then stomp the shit out of his ankle. While speaking with the WWE: Unreal team in a clip posted to Instagram, the Street Fighter star opened up about something his opponent said to him right before that will stick with him. As he tells it:

I’ll never forget something John Cena said to me during a match. The crowd was booing, just before I stepped on his ankle, and he looked right at me and said, ‘Be yourself.’

Professional wrestlers usually perform as exaggerated versions of themselves, which means finding the right balance between their real personality and their on-stage character is crucial. A seasoned performer like Rhodes is well-versed in this. However, in a recent match, Rhodes needed the crowd to support him so they’d want to see him win the championship from Cena. When the audience started booing him instead, it seemed to frustrate him, leading to a heated moment where he shouted, “This is what you want!” before attacking Cena and injuring his ankle. Rhodes then explained further:

That situation really suited John’s character because it presented a chance to play the villain – to aggressively confront his opponent. But John understood that wasn’t the right approach. He realized we wanted to portray two honorable characters facing incredible challenges. They would endure hardship, but remain loyal – fighting openly and honestly, even when it was difficult.

He continued by explaining that they aimed to highlight the genuine conflict behind Cena’s reluctance to pass the spotlight to Rhodes, and Rhodes’s determination to earn it through effort and strength. He stated that to effectively convey this, they needed to…

If you play a good guy, you need to consistently act like one. Even if the audience doesn’t like it when you’re fighting a popular wrestler, I wouldn’t want to do anything that feels unfair or disrespectful.

Rhodes briefly regained his championship, and Cena retired after a controversial match, but this contest will always be remembered as a highlight of Cena’s wrestling career.

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2026-01-21 20:38